Noctua NH-U12S Chromax Black CPU Air Cooler

The Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black is the all-black edition of Noctua’s NH-U12S slim-tower CPU cooler, combining effective thermal performance with near-silent operation in a fully blacked-out aesthetic. Every component — the heatsink fins, fan frame, fan blades, anti-vibration pads, fan clips, and mounting hardware — ships in black, making it a natural fit for all-black PC builds or any build that benefits from a discrete, understated cooling solution. At the core of the cooler is the NF-F12 PWM fan, a 120 mm Focused Flow fan that spins up to 1500 RPM (or 1200 RPM with the included Low-Noise Adaptor) and produces a maximum of 22.4 dB(A) of acoustical noise — dropping to 18.6 dB(A) with the adaptor in place. Minimum speed under PWM control reaches as low as 300 RPM for near-silent idle operation. Maximum airflow is rated at 93.4 m³/h, falling to 74.3 m³/h with the Low-Noise Adaptor. The NF-F12 uses Noctua’s SSO2 bearing and carries an MTTF rating of more than 150,000 hours. The heatsink itself stands 158 mm tall with the fan installed (45 mm fin depth without fan, 71 mm with fan), making it short enough to clear the interior of most modern mid-tower and full-tower cases. The slim 45 mm fin depth means the cooler does not overhang DIMM slots even when a second NF-F12 fan is added in push/pull configuration — a key advantage for systems using tall memory heatspreaders. The unit weighs 580 g without fan and 755 g with fan. Construction uses copper for the base and heatpipes, aluminium for the cooling fins, with soldered joints and nickel plating throughout. The soldered fin-to-heatpipe interface prevents the performance degradation that can occur with press-fit designs over years of thermal cycling. Mounting is handled by Noctua’s SecuFirm2 system, which supports Intel LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1155, LGA1156, and LGA20xx (Square ILM) sockets, as well as AMD AM5, AM4, AM3(+), AM2(+), FM2(+), and FM1. Note: LGA1700 support requires the NM-i17xx-MP78 kit, included on units shipped from Q4 2021 onward; older units require a separate upgrade kit. The package also includes NT-H1 pro-grade thermal compound, a Low-Noise Adaptor, anti-vibration pads and fan clips for an optional second NF-F12, and a Noctua metal case badge. Customisation is possible using optional NA-HC1 and NA-HC2 heatsink covers and NA-SAVP1 anti-vibration pads, available in multiple colours, allowing the cooler to be integrated into colour-themed builds beyond all-black. Verified Specifications: • Heatsink height (with / without fan): 158 mm / 158 mm • Heatsink width (with / without fan): 125 mm / 125 mm • Heatsink depth (with fan): 71 mm; without fan: 45 mm • Weight with fan: 755 g; without fan: 580 g • Fan model: Noctua NF-F12 PWM, 120 × 120 × 25 mm • Fan bearing: SSO2 • Max fan speed: 1500 RPM (±10%); with LNA: 1200 RPM (±10%) • Min fan speed (PWM): 300 RPM (±20%) • Max airflow: 93.4 m³/h; with LNA: 74.3 m³/h • Max noise: 22.4 dB(A); with LNA: 18.6 dB(A) • Fan voltage: 12 V • Fan MTTF: >150,000 hours • Materials: copper base and heatpipes, aluminium fins, soldered joints, nickel plating • Warranty: 6 years (full manufacturer’s warranty)